1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a LCD panel having a novel structure to prevent spacers from shifting after the panel is pressed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, LCD panels have characteristics, such as full color realization, low voltage operation, low power consumption, thinness, lightness in weight, and high image quality. Thus, they are widely used as monitors for electronic watches, calculators, notebook computers, personal computers and TV's, as well as monitors for aviation gauges, personal digital assistants (PDA's), and mobile stations.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a structure of a conventional LCD panel. As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD panel includes a plurality of gate lines 102 and a plurality of data lines 104 formed to cross one another on a substrate 100, thereby defining a plurality of pixel regions. A plurality of common lines 106 are formed on the substrate 100. A pixel electrode 108 is formed at each pixel region. A plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) 110 are formed at each corresponding crossing point of the gate line 102 and the data line 104 so as to apply signals of the data lines to each pixel electrode 108 according to signals of the gate lines. It is unnecessary for each pixel to have one spacer from the point of view of the total spacer density. However, if there is one spacer inside the specific pixel, place A is usually the place for spacers to reside on.
As shown in FIG. 2, the LCD panel further includes an insulation layer 112 for insulating the gate lines 102, the data lines 104, and the common lines 106, a passivation layer 114 for protection, an ITO layer 115 as a pixel electrode, and an alignment film 116 for aligning liquid crystal molecules, on the substrate 100. A color filter (CF) substrate 120 including a substrate 121, a black matrix layer 124, a color resin layer 123, an ITO layer 125, an alignment layer 127, and column spacers 122 is oppositely positioned. The column spacers 122 are formed on the CF substrate 120 and with the other end to reside on the TFT substrate so as to maintain a cell gap between the substrates 100 and 120. The liquid crystal (not shown) is filled between the two substrates.
With respect to such conventional LCD panel structure, the column spacers, also called photo spacers because they are made by photolithography, are formed and fixed on the CF substrate and they only make contact with the TFT substrate. When a wipe, push, or press is performed on the panel, a force is exerted on the panel. As shown in FIG. 3, the force may have a component F1 in the direction parallel to the surface of the panel. As a result, the spacer 126 moves together with the CF substrate 128 in a distance L from the original position C to a new position D on the TFT substrate 130. After the force is stopped exerting, it is desired that the spacer 126 moves back to the original position C. However, when a friction force F3 between the spacer 126 and the TFT substrate 130 is larger than the recovery force F2 for the CF substrate 128 and the spacer 126, the spacer 126 has a difficulty returning to the original position C; instead, it stay at the wrong position D.
When spacers stay at wrong positions, light leakage or crosstalk may occur. In order to eliminate such problem, the black matrix is enlarged in conventional techniques. However, as the black matrix is enlarged, the aperture ratio decreases; thus the properties of the LCD panel are deteriorated.
Therefore, there is still a need for a better LCD panel without the problem mentioned above.